Arthritis or not?

I don't know if I have arthritis or not as no doctor has stated I have. But for some time now my hands have been hurting from time to time. It centers around the bones in the palm area to the back of the hand. Also in the joints a little.

Three days ago my right hand started to hurt in this area something terrible. Today I can barely close into a fist or hold any weight to it. Push, pull, pressing down, etc causes a lot of pain. Probably on scale of 1-10 a 7 generally. And even more when I try to close the hand.

Now I haven't done anything in the past week that would have hurt my hand. I was on vacation at home so no activity other than watching TV, playing with the kids, etc. But I honestly do not recall any reason to cause this issue. Also it has swelled up a bit. Especially around the small fingers into the palm area.
In my past my hands have pained me before but not like this. Usually rubbing them, applying heat, or pain meds does the trick. But not now for some reason.

Could this be the start to arthritis? Maybe I did injure it and just don't know. There's not really any tingling going on or redness. I'll go see a doc if this persists but thought I would check on here first for any ideas.

[briamysunshine]

Did they do any tests to confirm that you have arthritis or did they base the diognosis on your symptoms.  If you did hurt it maybe their is nerve damage causing the pain and sweeling. Possibly even the inability to close your hand. If they did Not do any tests I would ask them to. I have spent the last 3 years being mis-diognosed. I hope they are able to help you.

[carolanivey]

What do you do in your job? I'm wondering if you're suffering from some kind of repetitive stress injury. If your regular doctor is at a loss, ask for a referral to a rheumatologist.

In the meantime, make sure you aren't curling up your hands and wrists while you're sleeping. A LOT of people do this without being aware of it. Go to Walmart or anyplace with medical supplies like a pharmacy, and purchase a wrist brace. This will keep your hand and wrist in a neutral position all night and even during the day if you do a lot of computer work.

A pair of compression gloves can keep the joints warm and ease swelling, as well. I have a pair with the fingertips cut out so I can easily type while wearing them.

Hope this helps!

[atonicat]

I agree with making sure you're not curling up your hands while you sleep. I have bad hand pain that is only made worse when I do this, which is a lot. It wont hurt to get a brace and see if it helps.